The invention relates generally to ramps for loading and unloading wheeled vehicles and, more particularly, to a self-loading ramp which is mounted on a truck or the like to assist in loading and unloading a vehicle to be transported by the truck.
Wheeled vehicles that are unsuited for self-transport between work sites on traveled roadways are in very wide and common use. Such vehicles are particularly common in the industries of agriculture, construction, earth working, and materials handling. These vehicles typically are used in relatively close proximity to a particular work site and then must be transported by independent means to remote work sites. The applications of these vehicles require only slow ground transport speeds or the wheeled vehicles are not self-propelled at all. Accordingly, independent means is required to transport such vehicles from work site to work site. Since the transport means typically have transport beds which are elevated above the surface of the ground, the vehicle to be transported must be raised from its ground-supported position at ground level to the level of the bed. While ramps are commonly used for this purpose, known ramps require manual manipulation from stored to operating positions and do not provide powered assist in the vehicle loading operation.